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On Depression

Depression is… Something that a lot of people struggle with every day.

And the thing is, it’s hard to quantify. For some people, it feels like a soul crushing weight that has them pinned to the floor. They can’t move. They can’t think. They can’t breathe, and happiness is a far off distant dream that they will never achieve.

For others, it is manageable. They can set it aside and focus on a task. When things go quiet, it slips out of the shadow like a thief, stealing their thoughts and bringing with it a kind of sadness that, while not overpowering, wraps around you like a wet blanket on a chilly winter morning.

Suicide is often a thought for people who suffer from depression. A two second decision to end your life is way too easy to make when the world is painted in the bleak tones of grey and black. Being scared, feeling alone… it is almost too much for any person to handle on their own.

And yet, people seem fine. They can go on with their day to day lives, until finally it’s too much. The cold wet blanket chills them to their core and they just want the pain to stop. So they seek out the closest exit, and they’re gone.

Forever.

A candle without a flame; extinguished before they were through.
And it hurts. Every life that ends diminishes the light of our world, just as surely as every new life brightens it.

Those of us left behind feel betrayed. “Why,” we may ask ourselves, “why did they get to take the easy way out? Why didn’t they tell someone? Why didn’t I know? How could this have happened, he was so strong! She was so brave! She had such a zest for life! He had everything going for him!”

We don’t get to know what caused someone to make the choice. But there is something you can do to help, and everyone should do this as often as possible.

1-800-273-TALK

This is the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. You might be able to save a life just by sharing that simple number with your friends, family, and co-workers. It takes 10 seconds, that’s it! And you might be able to save a life. You might be able to help someone who could never ask for help. You might save someone who never knew they needed help.
You might save yourself, if ever the world becomes dark and you feel lost in a forest, alone and afraid.

Please. Share that number. Keep it with you. Do not laugh it off, do not ignore pleas for help. Do not have regrets if you could have helped save someone’s life if you’d only taken ten seconds out of your day.